1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable rear under view mirror system provided rearward of an automotive vehicle for ensuring a rear under field of view from a driver's seat of the vehicle, and more particularly to the retractable rear under view mirror system which is positionable in a stored position where a mirror assembly is stored at a rear upper portion of the vehicle, and a use position where the mirror assembly is extended.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A retractable rear under view mirror system has been proposed in a Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 1-127430, for example, to improve a configuration of a van-type automotive vehicle, wherein a rear under view mirror is fixedly secured to an external surface of the vehicle to extend rearward thereof. In the mirror system disclosed in this publication, there is formed a recess at a rear end portion of the van-type vehicle which has a rear door hinged at its upper portion. A mirror assembly is retractably disposed in the recess, and actuated by a mirror actuating device to be extended out of the recess for ensuring the rear under field of view from the driver's seat. The mirror actuating device is energized by a manual switch operated by the driver of the vehicle. As an embodiment, there is provided a spoiler for reducing a lift created at a rear portion of the vehicle, or a deflector, and the recess is formed in the spoiler for receiving the mirror assembly.
However, according to the above-described rear under view mirror system, supposing that the driver operated the manual switch to actuate the mirror actuating device to thereby cause movement of extending the mirror assembly out of the spoiler, when the rear door is opened upward, the mirror assembly extended out of the spoiler is likely to collide with an obstacle over the vehicle, and as a result the mirror assembly will be damaged. Or, when the rear door is opened upward, the driver may operate the manual switch to move the mirror assembly to be extended out of the recess. In this case, if there is an obstacle or the like over the vehicle, the mirror assembly will be damaged.